How can we ensure smarter building solutions in the face of a rapidly changing climate? As Europe accelerates its transition toward a climate-neutral building stock, the need for accessible, reliable and up-to-date climate data has never been greater. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has launched ClimateDataForBuildings, a new open platform providing energy and climate modelling data for more than 3,600 European locations.
“The building sector is at a turning point. To make better decisions, we need climate data that reflects the present and the future, not the past. With this platform, governments, municipalities, consultants and developers across Europe gain a precise and shared knowledge base that makes it possible to build more robustly, energy-efficiently and with better local adaptation,” says Professor Thomas K. Thiis at NMBU.
Based on high-resolution CERRA reanalysis data, the platform delivers around 7,200 Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) files — widely used as climate input in simulations for building performance, HVAC design, renewable energy and indoor comfort.
“Climate change is already affecting building performance. We now provide the European building sector with transparent, updated and location-specific data to design for today, not yesterday’s climate”, says associate professor Arnkell Jonas Petersen, project lead at NMBU.
A digital boost for building simulation across Europe
TMY data are standard input in tools such as EnergyPlus, IDA ICE and PVsyst, enabling engineers and designers to model:
- heating and cooling loads
- ventilation and indoor climate
- solar energy and daylight utilization
- climate-robust design and renovation choices
While commercial and open datasets exist already, methodological transparency has often been limited.
“Users can now download data that are openly documented and scientifically validated, and trace exactly how each file was produced, and how it compares to reference data,” Petersen explains.
The platform offers two datasets for Europe, long term (30-year) baseline and a more recent (15-year) baseline. This dual approach helps users evaluate how climatic changes influence energy performance, particularly cooling loads, which are rising fast in many regions.
Facts: Typical meteorological year (TMY)
A Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) is a synthetic year of hourly weather data that best represents the long-term climatic conditions of a location.
It provides consistent and realistic climate input for simulations of:
- building energy performance
- daylight
- solar energy yield
- climatic adaptation
More about TMY
Clear benefits for design and policy
Professor Thomas K. Thiis, who leads the Climate & Buildings research group at NMBU, highlights the strategic value:
“Achieving climate-neutral buildings requires designs that are resilient under the conditions we will face. By opening these datasets and tools for the whole of Europe, we help ensure that decisions, from policy to product development, are based on solid, transparent climate knowledge”.
“This enables both industry and authorities to reduce climate-related risks while improving building quality, performance and affordability”, Thiis says.
Designed for tomorrow’s climate
In addition to present-day TMYs, the research team is developing Future Meteorological Years (FMYs) based on European climate projections for 2050 and 2080. These will enable engineers, planners and authorities to:
- anticipate changing cooling and heating demands
- test renovation strategies against future climate stress
- ensure buildings remain safe, comfortable and energy-efficient under warmer conditions
By combining current and future climate datasets, the platform contributes to decision-making that supports both immediate EPBD implementation and long-term climate adaptation planning.
Easy access — powerful tools
The platform ClimateDataForBuildings provides:
- Interactive European climate map
- In-browser climate viewer and comparison tools
- Temperature, solar radiation, wind and degree-day graphs
- Download in standard EPW format
- No installation, no login, no cost.
Publicly available now
The platform is developed by the Climate and Buildings research group at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
The methodology behind the datasets is documented through the peer-reviewed research article “Continental-scale assessment of typical meteorological years in a changing climate: metrics and insights from 5,000 European locations“ published in the journal Energy and Buildings.